“We were winning on Wednesday and still they were singing about me - I think that will not do our team any favours”

Rafael BenitezChelsea manager

In
an interview with BBC Radio 5 live
following Chelsea's FA Cup win at the Riverside, Benitez said the decision of the club to give him the title of "interim manager" was a "massive mistake" and that the fans were "wasting their time" in protesting against him.

"We still have 11 games to play in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup and the Europa League," he continued.

"Everyone knows I will finish my contract at the end of the season.

"So this group of fans, who are singing and creating banners, have to concentrate on supporting the team. The rest of the fans, the majority of fans, know the way to help the team is by supporting the players.

"I'm thinking about my team and my club. I want to win every game. I've tried to explain the way is to support the team in every single game.

"We were winning yesterday and still they were singing. I think that will not do our team any favours."

Benitez has been unpopular with some fans since taking over from Champions League-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo in November.

A section of the club's supporters has been unable to forgive Benitez for his association with Liverpool, or forget the rivalry he formed with then Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

Dan Walker on Benitez interview

The crew and I arrived at the hotel early and - after a few issues with light bulbs - we were all set up and ready for Rafa to arrive. I met him in reception at 14:55 GMT and you could see that all eyes were trained on him and that tongues were starting to wag.

As Liverpool manager, Benitez outwitted Mourinho in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League semi-finals as well as the 2006 FA Cup semi-final. He was also critical towards his current club while in charge at Anfield.

Benitez's cause has not been helped by Chelsea's Premier League form.

They are through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and in the last 16 of the Europa League, but they have dropped to fourth in the league behind Tottenham, who are managed by former Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Comments

Chelsea hardcore are blinded by JT, probably the most overrated player in the EPL. He is the cause of the shame that has been brought to this club.Roman needs to show JT the door and allow the real footballers flourish. With JT there is always drama. WHether it is racism, training ground tours, bar fights, undermining managers and much more.Get rid of this dead weight and you have a stable club.

@ 498... But the middle-class Green Street wannabes have been on at him since he started. They haven't been watching the game, they've been barracking him for some perceived slight from when he managed Liverpool back in the day. Unsettling that (predominantly) grown men will spend an evening spitting bile like the Tyburn mob and next day revert to true blue chip type - passive and jelly-like.

@497........are we responsible for the loss to QPR (when Rafa was resting his key players)? Are we responsible for the loss to Swansea or the draw with Reading and Southampton?are we responsible for Rafa standing by Torres when it is clear to all he can't score? Rafa is out of his depth and he's just making excuses for the poor future results. 1st manager to blame fans for poor team performance

@ 494... "making excuses" for what? He's reacting to a section of the Chelsea crowd whose sole intent has always been to vent spleen at him, in order to offload their own personal shortcomings. There's no justification for that kind of behaviour, no matter how hard you try and dress it up as some kind of hardcore Chelsea fan passion... It's not, it's just poor social skills.

Chelsea fans and their owner want to get real. What is it you want, exactly? To win the title, FA Cup, Capital One Cup, the CL, the Super Cup, the Three Bags Full Cup all in one season EVERY season? It's not possible. Not even JM will get you that. You're fourth. You're still in the FA Cup and the Europa League which is more than some of us are. Can't see what your problem is. Never satisfied.

All Clubs buy trophies Man Utd Van Persie Rooney Ferdinand Man City Tevez Aguerro Ballotelli Chelsea Drogba Torres Matta Arsenal? Success came to Tottenham through Modric and Van der Vaart that is not an issue every club would like a rich benefactor some are luckier than most it's what you do with that money.Managers live and breed through their results.JT is a youth product of CFC the lifeblood!

Every Chelsea supporter would love RA to issue a statement or have an interview with a translator to guage his overall stance on CFC.We never get it we are always the last to hear what recent event has took place.Even reporters can't get near him and rely on hearsay and little morsels of news that are usually sensationalised and taken out of context.We have Rafa will be judged on each game fact!

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.